So Tell Me Nothing's Wrong
by JessB
Summary: Chapter II: Won't Have to Reach Out - "'I got beat up and I'm still dead sexy, it must just be you.'"
1. Here's to the Night

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

# So Tell Me Nothing's Wrong

Chapter I: Here's to the Night

When some unknown force woke Tyler in the early hours of morning, his first instinct was to reach over and slap off his alarm clock. But as the grips of morning amnesia wore off, he realised that it was Saturday, and he had been awakened by one of those mysterious morning impulses that would allow him to lay contently in the half-light of dawn for awhile before he needed to get up and get ready to go to the station.

The squad always grumbled when Alex informed them that they would have duty on weekend mornings, but in reality, none them really minded that much. Calls rarely came in, and the ones that did were usually minor. Tyler grinned to himself as he thought of the usual Saturday-morning scene at the station: Val, with her long fingers curled around a steaming mug of coffee, her slim frame hunched over as she pored through the newspaper, Brooke, when she was there, already perched at a desk and shuffling through endless stacks of paperwork, and Jamie, Hank, and he, flopped down lazily on the nearest available surface, scarfing the doughnuts someone was always thoughtful enough to bring in, laughingly fending off Brooke's demands for inventories and reports. Sometimes, he reflected, he felt more at home with the squad than he did with his own family. Like last night. Tyler grimaced, his subconscious replaying the events for his unwilling mind.

William had asked if he wanted to go out on the boat the next day, and Tyler had explained that he couldn't, he was on duty. He would have thought that was a good enough excuse, but William had put on that wounded puppy-dog face that brought Tyler's mother to William's side every time. "Why don't you ever extend an effort to be friendly?" She had chided him. "William just wants to help make us a family, and you never have time." It's not like I'm hanging out with my friends at the mall, Tyler had wanted to reply. I'm saving lives. Isn't that more important than his damn boat?

But he hadn't. He just walked upstairs to his room where he could seethe in peace.

Tyler sighed. The rememberance had tainted the peace of his reverie, and it was no longer enjoyable. Shoving away his tangled covers, he padded barefoot to the bathroom and turned on the shower, steam immediatly rising as the heated jets of water came in contact with the cold bottom of the tub. Pulling off his boxers, he stepped in, sucking in his breath slightly at the temperature. It was hot enough to be uncomfortable, but he didn't turn in down. He'd get used to it in a few moments, and the heat always made him feel cleaner.

He stayed in the shower much longer than he needed to, revelling in the feeling that the water was drawing his problems out through his skin, exfoliating him of his worries. When he did emerge to wrap himself in a towel, his skin was shining the soft pink of renewal and he was ready to face the day.

He dressed quickly, giving his hair a vigorous rubbing with his towel before making his way quietly down the stairs, hoping to leave undisturbed his sleeping parents. Halfway to the garage, he checked his watch, and realised he didn't have to be at the station for another hour. _I'll walk,_ he thought dryly, changing his course for the front door. He unlocked it with a sharp click, slipped out, and shut it noiselessly behind him.

The street was deserted, the almost-mansions that lined it looming like silent watchmen. Tyler took a deep breath. The cold and wet March air already had a hint of spring in it. Smiling once again, he made his way down the street, enjoying the way the slapping of his tennis shoes echoed hollowly off the houses. He cut through a dewy-wet lawn and out onto a commercial street, now populated by shopkeepers opening for business. He veered slightly to step into Krispy Kreme to get the day's doughnuts.

They were just tumbling off the conveyor belt, freshly made and glistening with a mixture of heat and gooey icing. He ordered, and was quickly rewarded with the white and green box, warm to the touch, with glaze oozing out of one of the corners. He stepped up his pace, determined to get to the hospital before they cooled down.

They were still warm when he shouldered open the front door of the hospital, pausing to greet the placid receptionist at the front desk. He made the many twists and turns necessary to get to the EMS room, remembering with a slight smile how many times he had gotten lost his first few weeks as an EMT. Once he got to the door, he shifted the box of doughnuts to one hand and began feeling for the keys before he realised that it was slightly ajar even though there was no light. Marvelling that somebody else could be in this early, he slipped in noiselessly to see who it was.

Jamie Waite sat silently in the dark room, hunched over on the couch, one hand supporting his forehead. His eyes were focused intently on the floor just in front of him, and Tyler's first impression would be that he was trying very hard not to cry. Just in time, he stopped himself from asking what was wrong. Stupid, he thought. Like he'd tell you. Pretend you didn't notice.

Still balancing the doughnuts on one hand, he flicked the lightswitch. Jamie's head flew up, and Tyler feigned surprise. "Jamie? Hey." Tyler turned to set the box on the counter, but caught the movement of Jamie's hand to rub away tears out of the corner of his eye. He pretended not to see, just leaned his elbows on the counter.

"Um, hey Tyler." Jamie's voice was husky as first, but cleared quickly. "What're you doing here? It's pretty early."

Tyler's mind immediatly supplied a million ambiguous answers...paperwork to do, couldn't sleep, but a deeper part of him willed him to give an honest answer, in hopes that the favour would be returned.

"I got into a fight with mom and William again last night," He told Jamie, hoping he wasn't about to make a complete fool of himself. "I've been trying so hard to play nice with William, but whenever I don't bow down to one of his whims, he and mom immediatly assume it's for some petty and selfish reason. They basically told me I was using the EMS as a way to get out of 'family activities'. I didn't want to be there when they woke up." He tried not to notice Jamie's bewildered expression at the unprompted confidence and barrelled blindly onward. "What about you?" Tell me. You'll look no more stupid than I just did. Why were you sitting here crying in the dark?

Jamie hunched his broad shoulders in a shrug. "Something like that," he mumbled, then hastily rose. "I'm gonna make some coffee. You want any?" He asked, turning his back to Tyler as he busied himself in the cabinets.

The moment was gone, leaving Tyler feeling utterly foolish. "Sure," was all he could say, feeling colour rise in his cheeks. What had prompted him to do that? _The fact that Jamie obviously needs help with something,_ he retorted to the mocking part of his mind. _And I'm going to find out what._

**Author's note: Neh. Tyler's just a *bit* out of character here, eh? Well, this was inspired by someone's long ago suggestion about writing J/T slash..I'm not into slash, and at the moment, I don't even plan to have Jamie and Tyler have a relationship like that. However, it did make me watch the interaction between the two in the shows a bit more closely, and I got an idea for a story involving a brother-type relationship between the two. I think this chapter turned out okay, although the mood shifts pretty rapidly...please tell me if you think I should continue this!  
-JessB**


	2. Won't Have to Reach Out

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

# So Tell Me Nothing's Wrong

**Chapter II: Won't Have to Reach Out**

A blast of icy wind followed Hank as he stepped in out of the night into the EMT common room. "You will not believe this," He addressed Val and Tyler, "But there's practically a blizzard happening outside."

"No way!" exclaimed Tyler, bouncing up from his reclining position on the couch. He was quickly followed by Val. They pressed their noses against the window, staring in amazement at the white flakes outlined sharply against the darkness. "That's crazy! It felt like spring when I walked here this morning."

"Tennessee weather," responded Hank, grinning at the enthusiasm of the two.

"I hope it keeps it up, I have a science project due on Monday that I would really like to not have to turn in," said Val, staring dreamily out the window. "I love snow."

"Snow?" Jamie made a beeline from the storage room to the window, dropping a file folder on the couch with such disregard that papers scuttled across the floor. He stared forlornly out the window, oblivious to Brooke's dismay.

"Jamie! I just alphabetized those reports!"

"Sorry," Jamie responded automatically. "Oh, man, it cannot be snowing. No. The universe does not hate me this much."

"It's...just snow, Jamie. What's the big deal?" asked Val. Jamie slammed his forehead against the pane of glass.

"I have tickets to the Godsmack concert in Knoxville tonight. I don't have a car! I can't make an hour long drive on a motorcycle in the snow!"

Val and Hank began to make the appropriate sympathetic noises, but Tyler cut them off. "_Godsmack_? You have tickets to the Godsmack concert? I was online an hour after they went on sale and they were sold out!" Jamie stared intently at Tyler for a moment.

"Tyler, man, you know I love you. If I told you I had an extra ticket, could we take Albert to the concert?"

"You have an extra ticket?"

"I do."

"Oh. We are _so_ there."

***

Roughly five hours later, Jamie and Tyler stumbled across a crowded parking lot, ears ringing and sporting maniac grins. As happens often when on an endorphin rush, they both started laughing hysterically upon reaching Tyler's car. They fell against the snow-crusted hood, gasping in icy air as the stuggled to regain control of themselves.

"Oh god," choked out Tyler. "That was so awesome I can barely begin to describe it."

Jamie chuckled in response, wiping away tears of mirth.

"I would never have figured you for the Godsmack type, Tyler. But you were in there moshing with the best of them. I applaud your punk-ness." Jamie straightened up, clapping enthusiastically as Tyler took his bows.

"Thank you, thank you. I'd like to thank Albert, for getting us here tonight..." He smacked a hand on the door, sending down a small cascade of snow. "Jamie, of course, for the tickets, and the really big bald guy for that terrific kick in the ribs I got." He winced at the memory. Jamie pursed his lips sympathetically. "Anyway, ready to head back?" Jamie raised an eyebrow.

"Dude, you can't just go home after something like that. It's only like two."

"Yeah, well, my parents don't actually know that I'm here..I guess they think I'm still at the station."

"Yikes." Jamie let out a low whistle. "We'll head back if you want." Tyler shrugged.

"Let's grab something to eat first. No big hurry."

They decided to stop at a pleasant-looking all night diner where they sat gulping coffee in a comfortable silence until the caffiene re-awakened their urge for conversation.

"You look weird," commented Tyler, staring at Jamie over his coffee cup.

"At least for me it's only temporary."

"Ha. Ha. Your hair is all flat. It's bizarre not spiked."

"Moshing will do that to you."

"_I_ got beat up and I'm still dead sexy, it must just be you. You didn't even get scratched." Tyler reached over to jab Jamie in the ribs, but Jamie gasped, hunching over, face contorted in pain the moment Tyler touched him. Tyler's EMT instincts took over and he reflexively jerked up the hem of Jamie's shirt, revealing a large, green-tinted bruise spreading over his side. Jamie pulled away quickly, tugging down his shirt and attempting a weak grin.

"Guess I took a couple hits in the pit myself."

"Jamie, that bruise is like a week old."

"Oh. Mm, I must've gotten in a fight or something. Pass me the coffee pot, will you?"

_Smooth, Jamie,_ thought Tyler, complying. Silence reigned for a few moments while Jamie refilled his cup. Suddenly Tyler spoke up.

"Hey, would you mind coming over for the rest of the night tonight? My alibi of being at the station will be more plausible if there's someone to back it up. Plus, we have to be there at like nine tomorrow morning anyway."

"No problem," agreed Jamie a bit too enthusiastically. "S'the least I can do for you getting me to the concert."

***

"There are lights on. That's bad." Tyler glared stormily at the glowing windows of his towering residence.

"If you walk right in like there's no reason for you to be in trouble, it's better anyway. Be brave, man."

"Brave? No. Brave is bad. Grovelling."

"No! Just repeat to yourself, 'I was saving lives, I was saving lives.'"

"Who's gonna save mine?"

"You're hopeless." The two got out of the car and trudged across the snow crusted lawn. Tyler took a deep breath before throwing open the door and stepping inside. His mother and William were there immediatly to greet him.

"And where have you been?"

"The shift ran late," Tyler responded only a little too quickly. "Lots of calls." There was a moment of uncomfortable silence while introductions for Jamie didn't happen, until Jamie gave up on Tyler unfreezing and took it upon himself.

"I'm Jamie Waite," he said, reaching out for a handshake.

"William and Naomi Campbell," Tyler's stepfather responded, gripping Jamie's hand.

"Do you mind if Jamie stays here the rest of the night?" Tyler burst out, finding his tongue suddenly. "We have to be back at the station early tomorrow anyway."

"No problem," smiled William. Tyler resisted the urge to make a face at him. Instead, he gestured over his shoulder for Jamie to follow him up the winding staircase to his room.

"Jesus, Tyler, could you be any more of a rich white boy?" asked Jamie sarcastically as he stepped into Tyler's room, size proportional to the rest of the massive house and brimming with more high-tech toys than most normal people would own in a lifetime. Before Tyler could respond, Jamie snatched a framed picture off his dresser. "Oh, now that is just the cutest thing I've ever seen," He cooed, holding the photo of Val's smiling face to the light.

"Give me thaaaaat," growled Tyler, snatching the picture away from a deviously grinning Jamie. "Shut up and go to sleep."

***

A muffled whimper awoke Tyler as grey light was just beginning to illuminate the windows. Sitting up silently in bed, he peered nearsightedly to the couch where Jamie lay in a restless sleep, his lean body writhing as Tyler's heart broke with every quietly agonized cry.

***

**Author's note: Can we tell this is another Jamie abuse fic? *runs away from the cliche police* I know, I suck. I'm trying not to dwell to much on the abuse thing. It's all about Tyler and Jamie. Oh, and, um, I placed it in Tennessee acos I live in Tennessee and hey, guess what? My city's called Kingsport (I'm blessed). So thar y'are. Please review!**


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